Without that part, the whole just won't work
by Daughter of the Black
Summary: Set after Serenity, only Wash is still alive, the crew go through their lives. They take jobs, encounter complications, and and get into fights. We also explore the relationships, RxM, ZxW, and SxK. There will be a parental confrontation later on, it w
1. Chapter 1

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Firefly or Serenity; I am not making any money etc.

Chapter One

Authors Note: This takes place after the movie Serenity, only Wash did not die, Book did, but not Wash.

Firefly Serenity gently lowered onto Shadow, Mal had been reluctant to go there, but work was work. Badger had cargo that needed delivery, and Mal and his crew had been closest. Mal was lost in his own thoughts, and did not hear the girl come up behind him.

"You should go see her," the strange girl said.

Mal nearly jumped, "River, little one, you been walking around in my head?"

River smiled, "No Capt'n, you just think too loud is all."

Mal was about to reply that he was not thinking too loud at all, when Wash's voice crackled through the air, "We are landing of Shadow now. We will be about five minutes out of a town. Zoe has got the mule all ready."

Everyone began to assemble in the bay, and the brown haired, gray eyed Captain Malcolm Reynolds sat in the passenger seat in the mule, "Jayne, Zoe, you're with me. Doc, River, Kaylee, Inara, Wash, just stay on the ship, we shouldn't have problems with this drop. We shouldn't be more than half and hour, and when we get back, we all can go to town. Alright, let's go, behave children."

Zoe Washburn, Jayne Cobb, and Mal left the rest of Serenity's crew standing in the cargo bay of the spaceship. Doctor Simon Tam hung tightly to his brown-eyed sister River's arm, Kaylee, the mechanic waved a grease stained, gloved hand at the threesome. On the bridge, Zoe's husband Hobban, commonly called Wash sat in his pilot's chair, pushing buttons on the huge control panel. The beautiful companion named Inara Serra sat in her shuttle, calmly making tea while praying for her friends.

The girl who everyone was slightly frightened of stood behind a set of stairs, she watched everyone, though no one knew she saw them. Simon quickly kissing Kaylee, Wash playing with his toy dinosaurs, Inara searching for new clients, and Serenity, Serenity was happy to have someone who knew as much as she did. When River hid, no one could find her. She knew that Serenity wouldn't tell, even if Mal could understand Serenity as River did. They had a unique relationship; Serenity was like an archive of memories, almost not all of them were hers. River too had memories that she did not remember, or that she did not know the people in them.

River moved silently, her long brunette hair falling into her face and hiding her brown eyes that swirled, never seeming to be the same shade twice. Old loose clothing covered her very pale skin, and she looked so harmless. You could not see her shapely figure underneath a thick sweater, and a floor length skirt, the gray of the fabric only made her seem less physical. The only truly precise thing about her being, were long perfect fingernails. Like a ghost, she seemed to float through the halls, and down the stairs, although she wore heavy combat boots that were too big for her. Many of the crew wondered just how they stayed on her feet and still managed to walk as if she was barefoot. River wandered around the boat, and caressed the metal in places, she found herself back in the cargo bay after a time.

The crew had gone their separate ways to wait for Mal's return, when the mule finally came into the bay; River was hiding behind a crate, wedged in a corner. She did not move, when the others assembled to go to town, she slipped unseen out of her spot to stand in Mal's shadow. Her presence observed, but not remarked upon. River walked silently, behind the group, everyone else chatted except for two men, Jayne and Mal. Jayne just didn't use his words much, but his actions certainly did. Mal however, usually talked a little at least, but River seemed to be the only one besides Zoe who seemed to notice or know why he was unspoken. Zoe of course knew that this was his mother's home, and that he had never really gone back, ever. However, she did not know that River knew, and certainly, she wasn't going to approach the captain, he could bite when he wanted to, and Zoe knew his family was a sore spot.

The town was more like an oasis, cobbled stones made the road, and green grassy pastures full of flowers could be seen. It was warm here, and the sun shone down on the people. Everyone had a shadow, and everyone was laughing and talking, it was a prosperous place, expensive wares, and stylish shops lined the road. River immediately noticed the one odd thing about the place, there was not a single form of law enforcement here. Not a sheriff, nor alliance, it was a haven. This place was self-made, this world had bloomed on its own, it was no core planet, but it had none of that artificial coldness. River like it here, it was warm and shiny, even she the shadow, had a shadow.

Everyone split off; even Simon wandered away, but kept an eye on river, soon, only Mal stood in the same vicinity as River. He was tall, and easy to spot, and was muscular, not so much as Jayne, but still very strong. He seemed to be staring into the distance, and did not hear River mumbling. She did not really pay attention to what she said; only that she kept muttering something about fate. Jayne was looking at the food stalls, Inara, Kaylee, and Simon had wandered down to look at the fabrics, while Wash and Zoe had wandered off with no real destination. River sat on the fountains edge, and watched as the water fell, and rippled the surface of the water. She glanced down at her feet and started to scream, that was all she could do, that and draw her legs and skirt up onto the ledge. Her scream just kept ripping through the air, and only Simon had ever heard her scream like this before.

Sorry, Cliffhanger, I absolutely love Firefly, and this is my first try at a story. If you like, the story or you do not please read and review. More to come, this is only the first chapter. I really want to know what you think, and where you think I should take this story.


	2. Chapter 2

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Firefly or Serenity; I am not making any money etc, if I did own Mal, I would never let him out to play.

Chapter Two

River was still screaming when Simon got in range to see her, Mal got to her first, since he had been standing just a bit away, near a clothing shop. He was about to ask her what in the gorram world she was doing screaming like a bleating babe. That was, until a very sharp, very familiar voice cut through the air like needles, "Malcolm Reynolds, you come home, and you don't even bother to send a wave. I should knock you into next week for such a gaffe."

The woman had come out of the clothing shop when she had heard River screaming, that was when she saw something, more correctly, someone who was unmistakable. To Mal as well, the voice was unmistakable; he had never run across another like it in his life. It was like the seals, from the earth-that-was; they memorized their parents bark, as the parents memorized their pups call. It was natural for Mal to grimace as he turned to face the woman, "Ma'am,"

Suddenly, River was silent, with the lacking noise, Mal looked back at the girl. She no longer had a terrified look on her face, now it was an ironic look, and just as swiftly as she had stopped yelling, she was laughing unreservedly doubled over with the effort of laughing. She managed to control her giggling for a moment to spout utter nonsense, or so it seemed to some, "Fate is fate; you can not avoid the inconceivable, a million paths, one destination. I told you see, I told you."

A small crowd had gathered, and the other crew members too were drawn to the focal point, Simon who spotted the disturbance before the others rushed through the crowd to crouch beside his sister, the terror gone from her eyes, he was a bit disconcerted by the look that had replaced it. River who was usually so morose was now quite amused by the scene of her captain looking like a child caught with his hand in the sweets jar. Simon followed her gaze and barely held back a chuckle of mirth, never had he seen the gun-toting captain this docile.

Not ten minutes later, the sheepish Mal and the amused crew found themselves sitting around a table on a ranch. The woman who had dragged them there was none other than Jane Reynolds, the mother of their captain-tight-pants. Kaylee of course had a big smile on and thought this just shiny. Jayne was silent, motionless, almost like he was dead; he sat staring at the wall. Zoe and Wash talked with the woman, answering questions about how the core planets are. Simon was rifling through his bag, muttering to River, her head was down, wide eyes shielded by a curtain of hair. Mal at that moment rather wished he had long hair that he could hide behind, as she did.

They all sipped tea, all except River that is. She was rocking back and forth, holding her head. Simon was trying to soother her, but he was failing, she merely shook his hands off and rocked faster. The quiet conversation between Inara and Kaylee was ignored, and the others looked down at their teacups; Jane was just about to speak to her son, when a deathly quiet voice was heard.

It was a surprise to everyone when the silent girl spoke, "Make them stop, they're so loud, but they won't talk! Make them stop!" River threw her head back and they could all see the tears that leaked from her swirling eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

"River, who are they?" Mal had dared to broach the subject. In response, the girl only raised her arm and pointed out the window.

Jane spoke hesitantly, but with a questioning tone, "The only thing that way is a graveyard. A query I have is why the girl screamed like that earlier?"

River shuddered involuntarily, "A slither."

Simon quickly spoke before anyone else could, "River is, uh afraid of snakes."

Mal was about to laugh and say that his little assassin was afraid of snakes was just amazing. That was, until yet one more familiar face burst through the door, it was a man of twenty. He slammed the door behind him and nearly jumped when he turned to see the living room filled with people. The panic on his face was evident, and his voice only made it more apparent, "Aunt Jane, we gotta hide. There's bandits, a bit away from town. Come on, now 'afore they come."

The news hit each person differently, but for some reason no one was looking at River. Before any of them could react, she had moved from her seat and was standing over the large mercenary; he barely reacted, for he had not been paying attention. River reached into his jacket and pulled two handguns out of holsters hidden in the folds. Jayne screamed when River had ripped his jacket open, but had enjoyed her hands roaming his side to find his weapons. Though he was unsure as to why he felt this way, or why the hell she was doing that. When she actually pulled out his guns, he got angry, but before he could rally react, she was almost to the door.

She tore open the door and as she made her way down the path, she checked each gun. Finally, when she was satisfied, she broke into a run, leaving everyone who had been in the living room staring out the door. Simon ran first, then Mal and Jayne, the rest followed. When they reached the town, River was slipping through the now empty roads it was a ghost town. River slipped into a shadow, Mal took her lead, motioning for everyone to hide. Mal and his cousin hid behind a cart, while the others scattered.

River did not move when the first few men walked into the area, she waited until all of them were in her line of sight; she waited for the opportune moment. When the men had begun to pilfer the goods in plain sight, River popped off shot after shot. Men began to fall, each with a bullet in their third eye. The guns used, she dropped them and hurtled into the mess. She landed kicks and punches with deadly accuracy, her acrobatics befuddling the men and her speed astounding them.

After she had killed one man who carried a wicked sword she pulled it from his dead fingers, and she swung. Dodging and blocking, swinging and kicking, River worked steadily, unaware of the eyes watching her. She was only aware of the men who attacked her. The young man made to run into the fight when River screamed, a knife being the cause, Mal yanked him back down and kept watching the woman in action. At last, River stopped moving, she yanked her blade from a man's chest, he fell to the ground, dead in moments.

Slightly out of breath, she stood, her weapon dripping blood, she stepped over the bodies. Mal stepped from his hiding spot, the others taking their cues from him. Simon rushed over to his sister; she dropped the blade and began to walk towards Mal. She had to stop halfway there, her stomach rebelled, and she wiped her mouth and collapsed onto her knees.

Okay, I am working on the next chapter, hope you all like this one. Please pleas **read and review**, I really want your thoughts, and thank you to all those who have reviewed, I will try to mention that Mal's eyes are blue, not gray. Sorry if this is a bit long, but I was on a roll. It might take me longer to post the next chapter, but I hope it will be soon. Use the button and review. Till next time, Daughter of the Black.


	3. Chapter 3

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Firefly or Serenity; I am not making any money etc, if I did own Mal, I would never let him out to play, I would lock him in a tower. Any characters you do not recognize are mine.

Chapter Three

Without thinking, Jayne having grabbed his guns, walked over to the girl, he gently scooped her up and walked back towards Mal. As he did, he had to stifle any thoughts about the girl - no woman - in his arms; it wasn't easy to do so, seeing her all covered in blood and sweat. It was like that time on Miranda, he saw her standing there, and never in his life had he ever been more turned on. If anyone knew, he would likely be dead before he could blink.

As he approached the group Mal laughed, "Come on little assassin, were they worse than reavers?"

River spoke in a shaky and quiet voice, "They are reavers, only they chose to be that way. They weren't made."

Mal's cousin spoke in a raw voice, "What would a gorram girl know about reavers. No ones ever been able to survive one of their attacks, they have no mercy. And cousin, what in gorram hell did you call her?"

"All in good time youngster," Mal was only half-paying attention; he was focused on a very strange sight. His River was in the arms of a killer, his River.

Jayne was a few feet from the rest of the group when he spoke, "Gorramit girl, I ought to kill you for touching my guns!"

River smiled, "But you won't because you like it when I kill. You realize that we are the same. You really like knowing that I could kill you, and you'd never know."

River squirmed out of his arms and staggered forward. Simon saw all of the blood on his sister clearly now, and could not tell if she was hurt. River only walked over to him and pulled a syringe and bandage from his bag. She sat on a crate and pulled her shirt off, her skin bare, everyone could see a small stab wound just above her left hip. She screamed as she pushed the needle into the raw flesh and pushed the plunger down. She screamed, but that was the only reaction, to everyone's surprise and horror, her hands kept working efficiently. She covered the wound and stopped the bleeding, ignoring the stares that seemed to come from everywhere.

The shirtless girl rose and walked away from the group; she walked in the direction of Serenity, which happened to be on the far side of a sea of bodies. She began to sing a cheerful tune as she jumped and spun, she skipped merrily over the piles of bodies. She turned back, smiling and laughing, everyone, even the crew was shocked by this happy creature.

Then she spoke, "No power in the 'verse can stop me. When I paused, something or someone almost did. Yes, I remember trying to pull the trigger, but for the first time I did not. I was ready, mutually assured destruction. I shoot, you shoot, you shoot, I shoot. I was their gorram doll, their puppet." An odd expression crossed her face, and she stared down at her hands, "Two by Two, Hands of Blue."

Simon walked towards her, a needle in his hand, "Its okay River. They can't hurt you any more. Why don't we go to the infirmary, I have a new program. You can watch files from earth-that-was. Wouldn't that be fun?"

River screamed at him, "You're lying; you want to play with my brain! No rutting tests, I'm broken, don't you understand. No more torturing, no more threats, pain is only a feeling, fear is everything. You can't just stick needles in my eyes and ask me what I see!"

Simon bit his lip and raised his voice to say a Chinese phrase, and River fell, she was asleep, "Captain, would you?"

Mal sighed but walked over to the thin form, he scooped her up. Her hair showering over his arm, her limp form was light and beautiful. Mal laughed, "I have a feeling I've done this before, Simon, if she kicks you in the throat again, I will be, well I don't know."

After cuffing River to the bunk bed, Mal walked downstairs to face his mother and Cousin James, who had seen him pull ou the handcuffs, as well as River killing those men. He wasn't sure what he was going to explain, hell, he did not even know what to think. When he walked into the living room, it was silent even the cheery Kaylee was grimfaced. Mal sighed and patted her on the shoulder, hoping to comfort the mechanic.

James broke the silence, "Malcolm, who the hell is that woman, and what the hell just happened back there?"

Kaylee spoke before Mal could even process the question, "Cap'n, I haven't seen her like that since Miranda; I barely remember her closing the doors behind her. Then them reavers pulling her away from it, trying to kill her. She did just what she said she would, she took care of us, she killed the-them all. I remember when she cut Jayne, he couldn't stop her. Is it true what she says?"

Mal rubbed his temples, "If she wanted us dead, we already would be. Now, listen good, she's part of my crew, and if it comes to it, I trust her with my life. River may only be nineteen, but she's been through more'n any of us. I'm just rather surprised she got hurt, never expected that."

"You want to know why, it was his fear. Bandits took his older sister when he was five. His fear was overwhelming _it_ took over. Lecher, stop." River was standing still shirtless in the doorframe.

Jayne stood up and pulled his t-shirt off a white undershirt remained. He walked over to the girl and pulled it over her head; she writhed and pulled her arms through the holes. She could smell Jayne's strong musk; it was nice it overpowered the blood.

Mal's face had been covered by a cloud of confusion, "River, how did you get the handcuffs off?"

River snorted, "Key, took it after oaty bars. When I almost made you a carcass."

He smiled and held out his hand, she stuck her tongue out and pulled off her left boot. She flipped it upside down a small bundle fell out of the toe. It was a gold silk scarf that Inara had given her, she pulled it open and five bullets, a bracelet, and the object she sought lay in the center. River dropped the tiny key into his warm hand and quickly put her golden cache away.

Mal tucked the key into his pocket and had to stifle a laugh when he saw everyone's looks. His mother looked shocked, while James looked like he might die. River leaned down and whispered in Mal's ear, "I couldn't pull the trigger because you did not want to hurt me, you were trying to protect me. You were the only one then, besides Simon. Why do you think that I could wake up enough to defeat reavers. Because you were doing all you could to help me, you wanted to."

Alright, the fourth chapter should be up soon. Thank you for your comments, and I wanted to say that yes, Jayne does get into a little fight with Mal, but it comes a little later. I wanted to slowly develop the relationship between River and Mal, but my point in making Jayne think fast is that that is who he is. Please Read and Review! I live on feedback.

Later, Daughter of the Black


	4. Chapter 4

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Firefly or Serenity, Joss Wheedon does. However, I wish I owned Mal, tee hee hee. I am not making any money etc.

Chapter Four

Authors note: I would like to thank all those who have reviewed, and tell you all to review much more, I really want to know what you think, if you like it or not, so Review!

River straightened and moved to sit next to Mal, snuggling into his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she gently rested her head on his shoulder. When he spoke again to the rest of the room, she could feel the rumble of his voice, and soon it lulled her to sleep. Mal ignored the odd looks Inara kept throwing him; he glanced down at the delicate woman and smiled when he realized she was asleep. When he looked back to James, the young man's eyes were filled with envy, while his aunt had a peculiar glimmer in her eyes.

Everything she had said to him, only to him had been true he wanted to protect her. River was a strange variable that he just didn't know how to handle. Perhaps it was her love of Serenity, or her graceful steps. Whatever it was, he knew that life would just not be right without River. It would be gray, sure, he had thought that he was happy before she came aboard Serenity, but knowing her changed him. If she left, the color she brought to his world would vanish.

River's hand which had been resting delicately on Mal's chest moved slightly only Mal could feel it, but the sleeping beauty was patting him. Almost as if, she had heard his thoughts. Even if he had imagined it, it was a good feeling. If this was only a dream, he never wanted to wake, to find her gone from his side. What was he thinking; he had always been attracted to Inara, why couldn't he stop the thoughts about River. For years, Inara had been his obsession, perhaps her status as a companion made him realize that she would never be available to him.

How could this tortured soul soften the heart of Mal, work her way into his head so much that he barely concentrated on what he was really doing now. _Did Zoe just ask when they were leaving, or had Simon muttered something about his little sister. _ Looking around, Mal saw that James still stared at River's chest, and Mal suddenly understood and agreed with her lecher comment. All Mal could think about was holding her in his arms, ignoring the crew, relaxing with River, to just float in space with no destination. She might never know how he felt, and he pushed the thoughts away. _Gorramit, I am just as bad as Jayne is, and why the hell did he put a shirt on my little albatross. I mean on the albatross, she is not mine. Nevertheless, why did he, you'd think that pervert would just sit back and get off. Maybe he…no, he cannot have grown up. I'll have to think about this some more. She is beautiful…no must not think like that, she is like a sister. Untouchable._

River dreamed, of clouds, of the fields of flowers, of pleasant things for the first time in a long time. It was nice; she could wash the blood from her hands, if only in her dream. Of course, she would kill for him, because he was warm to her. She would never actually tell him, she could tell, that it was Inara that he liked. When he watched the companion, his deep swirling blue eyes seemed cold, but a thought or two would tell River just what he wanted, her. Only in the dream could she have what she wanted, what she needed. When he had put his arms around her, her skin had tingled and her heartbeat quickened.

River knew the moment she entered the dream, that the reason that it was so pleasant, was because of one Malcolm Reynolds. He was like a calming effect on her, her fears just slipped away, and she was carefree. No more dreams of needles, torture chambers, or of things and memories that were not her own, they were no more. River could truly be a human around him, not just a killer, he never ever asked her to kill. Even though he knew just what she had been made to be, he never asked her to do what she had been forced to in the past. It was nice.

Ever since that time in the bar, when she had aimed a gun at his heart, River had replayed the same scene over and over again. What if she had shot him, could he have survived, would he have died. What if Simon had never decided to leave Serenity, would she even have walked into that bar, seen the image that set her off. Would she still be a ticking time bomb, would she go off on anyone, the knowledge of Miranda and others harming her? The buried thoughts startled from her peaceful place

"Am I a bad person, I kill without a thought, it doesn't hurt me. I am nothing more than a phial of blood, am I bad," River's soft voice cut through the conversation about the Alliance. Everyone looked at the girl who rested on Mal's shoulder, her knowing eyes sparkling with tears. Her appearance and her tone of address were complete opposites. Her voice was dull, but her eyes reacted, they showed how upset she was.

Simon moved to crouch before his sister, trying to ignore how comfortably she was nestled against the captain, "Mei-Mei, no, no. You are not a bad person. Do you remember when you used to correct my homework, when you were five? Or when we used to play at being soldiers?"

A ghost of a smile played over her lips, "We're going to have to resort to cannibalism." Simon smiled and patted her knee, his smile faltered when she spoke again, "A brilliant doctor, I took you away from that. You found me broken, and you try to fix me, but you don't know."

"River," Simon called almost frantically, she only gazed through him not seeing him, "What don't I know, mei-mei, can you hear me." The occupants of the room looked slightly nervous.

The soft and velvety voice filled the void again, "When a jar is broken, the pieces can be fitted back together. When two are broken, and you focus on fixing one, the other pieces are forgotten, put in the repaired jar to store them. The pieces don't belong there. He is gone, but his memories are inside of me, all of them. His pain, his moment of death, his love, his talents, his knowledge, it's all in here."

This information shocked Simon, when she rose and dodged to the door, he didn't move, no one could. Kaylee put a comforting hand on her lover's shoulder, she couldn't even imagine what agony he was going through. In truth, she did not understand much of anything about Doctor Simon Tam, lead surgeon, versus a small-town girl who used to work for her father. Sometimes she felt as if he did not even speak her language. Inara only told her that their history made them different, but they were perfect opposites, and that worked. Still, Kaylee worried.

Simon worried when River ran out of the room, he knew she would be okay, nut the things she had divulged were concerning. When the beautiful Kaylee set her hand on his shoulder, he relaxed a bit. Simon was from a nice home, and he was not used to his life, he often said things or did things that angered Kaylee. He really loved her, but River was an issue, she took up most of his time, and he devoted his free time to thinking. Kaylee just didn't understand that how changed she was from their childhood, today, his only thoughts were to bring back those days, he just didn't have the capability to relate to Kaylee on any other level than physically, at least no know. Whereas River was his best friend, and sister.

When she bolted out of the door, the girl was afraid, had she truly spilled the one thing she had needed to keep to herself. She ran, towards the foggy expanse that stretched for what seemed like forever, it vanished far in the distance. She ran for a long time, though it seemed only a second, she stopped. Suddenly the knowledge that she was in a graveyard flooded her. She shook it off and went to sit on the steps of a mausoleum not far off. She breathed deeply, trying to forget what she had done.

The memories of the unknown flooded her closed eyes. They were horrifying. A little boy running in an abandoned home, the pillar falling on his small form came first. This time a young woman running through a fire. She was trying to reach the door, two children waiting just outside for her. The ceiling collapsed, and she was gone. Then a baby, crushed accidentally by its mother, slowly suffocating. A bandit's bullet passing through a father's chest, his young daughter's name on his lips. She saw their death moments, those memories were all that remained in these places. Ghostly whispers told her of treason, of plots, of murder, and of pain, of euphoria and shock. Each one was different, each told a million things that meant nothing to the listener.

The only thing that was silent, was a smell, it was of lavender, it was familiar, then nothing. River understood, the man was deaf, mute, and blind. He lay alone in the place of honor, higher up, in the solemn mausoleum. The lavender woman had been the last thing he knew of, it was his own sister. One who smelled greatly of greed and pride. To die so alone in the world, unwanted, River who had lived that moment committed the feeling to memory.

She floated through that world, each state, each life. She died so many times, that soon her soul began to die. Tears shed unconsciously, the pain of each blow, she no longer had to repress the fear that had been there for her entire life. The fear of dying. It was irrational, to fear something that could not be changed, it was fate to end up like Book had. River knew this, though she still cried. She no longer feared her death only that she would leave them. That broke her even more, the shine and sparkle gone from her eyes they were dull, they had shone even in the academy, perhaps not as brightly as recently, but they had still given off hope.

More to come soon, I would like some feedback. I will go into why Jayne put the shirt on her, but we will get to it soon enough. Hoped you liked it, feel free to destroy me or build me up, Joking, all feedback welcome. So Please Read and Review!

-Daughter of the Black


	5. Chapter 5

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Mal, let me go jump off the roof now, okay maybe not. I bow down to the almighty Joss Wheedon! Mal could own me, or Jayne, or Simon, just not badger, Wash could own me too.

A/N: This is a weird one, so bear with me, it should be okay in a few chapters.

River rose from where she sat, she slipped silently from the most silent place on this place. Her feet took her where she wanted to go, she was not aware of the direction she went, only knew that her body did. When she stopped, she stood in her room in Serenity. Looking around, River took in the sparse decorations, finding the dresser that she had been thinking about, she walked over to it. Inside the drawers were clothes that River had bought behind Simons back. A black corset and gown with a full skirt, the sleeves were lace and a pair of black heeled shoes.

River rinsed her body off and for the first time in a very long time she brushed her hair, it fell down to the bottom of her ribcage. The dress on her body, she looked in the mirror, her pale skin made her look how she felt, dead. Her dark hair hung around her pale neck like the cloak of night on the moon. On some level she looked like Inara, dressed up in fancy clothes, but much more sober. It was like looking back in time, as if she had been there at each funeral.

The day had darkened to match the mood River was in; it was on the verge of pouring, it was breaking the days events down. The woman walked through the bloody path back to the home of the Reynolds. She only went because her body told her to, her mind however was everywhere and everything. As River raced along the path, looking both elegant and terrifying, she looked like death itself. A rather simple feat for this woman, she stopped on a log near the front door of the home, she stared into the distance, not really seeing what there was to see.

She did not even move when the hot breath of someone played on her delicate neck, she didn't even blink. It was almost as if she was not in her body, that was until the young man who had sat next to her began to move his hands. One was on the inside of her thigh; the other had crept around her waist and was moving perilously close to her breast. She moaned, taking that as a sign of encouragement, the man moved his hand to the hem of the dress, and yanked it up. His hand now in contact with the supple white flesh itched with anticipation, and he moved his head closer to hers, trying hard to kiss her. She did not look happy, actually she did not look like she was moving, it was when he stood up did she kick him in the gut, mostly with the toe so as not to kill him, but hard enough to make him stumble back.

River stood, her skirt settling back into place, and she walked back into the house, and stood hands behind her back, in the doorframe. Wash jumped and screamed when he saw the specter in his line of vision. He muttered something about heart attacks and clutched his heart, Simon and Mal both jumped at the same time, Simon asking what she was doing, Mal if she was alright. She only stood there, being shaken and bombarded with questions that was until a hunched over figure walked in behind her and cast a dark unforgiving shadow over her.

Hello, sorry it took me so long, I had major writers block and could not think of how I wanted to transition to the next job, but now that I have it, I have to develop it, should come in the next week or so. Should be longer too, and I am busy with other fic's too, so don't think that I gave this up. I just get depressed when I think about how I don't own Mal and Jayne. So Review and give me plot twist ideas. Oh, and she will go back to normal (or as close to that as she can get) in the next few chapters. This is just to show how she could have been and show everyone just how much Mal likes River. Until next time I am your mistress the Daughter of the Black.


	6. Chapter 6

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Mal, let me go jump off the roof now, okay maybe not. I bow down to the almighty Joss Whedon! Mal could own me, or Jayne, or Simon, just not badger, Wash could own me too.

A/N: This is a weird chapter, just to play with the crazy river hope you like.

The shadow seemed to emanate the pure hatred and anger that embodied the man who stood behind the pure sweet River who had charmed the crew of serenity and opened doors to hearts that some had never known existed. The poor girl had a lost look on her face and the man behind her had a pained and red expression. The entire room looked from the small figure to the larger one.

Jayne interrupted the picturesque scene, "Hate to harm your image Mal, but your starting to look like a gorram cow. Close your mouth…rutting hell, girl what you been doing. Oh, rutting hell!" He said the last part as he saw her shadow and finally realized the situation.

Jayne made a split second decision and pulled his little pistol from a holster on his hip, training it on the man's forehead, finger just itching to pull the trigger. James looked around the room and noticed the looks and the mercenary with a deadly aim marking him. He mumbled a few curses and made a run out of the door, leaving a room of angry people. Simon was pulling his sister into a hug, secretly checking her for injuries.

"Fine, he is damaged, River is fine. What man has written, man may read, But God fills every root and seed, with cryptic words, to strangely set for mortal to decipher yet," River said, not sure what she was saying, she frowned and cocked her head. "You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea." She had her head tilted to the side and for a moment, Mal could have sworn he saw her eyes turn pure black, but perhaps he was wrong.

"Well, I guess we are back to cryptic River, ah well, I am okay so long as I don't nearly die again. So River what kind of wacky secret do we need to discover and then flee from?" Wash had a funny grin on his face and it turned to one of shock when River dropped into his lap and put her head on his shoulder. He arched his eyebrow and looked at Simon, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

River had a scary smile on her lips, "Your heart beats, like a rhythm, dance to it. Da-da-dah-dada-da-da-dah-dada, listen, I can hear the end. Dah-dah-dah-dada-da-dun. Boo," Wash jumped and River let out a chilling laugh, letting her head fall backwards.

She got up and moved towards Mal who was watching and his eyes widened as she came closer, "Little help over here, I don't want her predicting my gorram death. Mal, stop laughing!"

"The reason you came here, Is the reason you flee. Watch him jump, like a bunny. Hop hop, hop hop," River growled viscously right in Jayne's face, shaking her head slightly, mocking biting the head off the bunny.

Next, she rounded on her own brother, "The stoic doctor, hides behind a mask. Does not want to admit he fears what he does. Does not want to be on the table. Hear his screams, listen, and shhh. Every cell screams!"

"In a world you think you understand, Stay put and tune to another planet. He is a hero, do not you see. But he isn't six feet under. On the Plains of Hesitation, bleach the bones of countless millions, who, at the Dawn of Victory, sat down to wait, and waiting."

"And the faithful servant, so unsure and scared. All our knowledge merely helps us to die a more painful death than animals that know nothing." River was staring up at Zoe, looking in her eyes, swaying slightly.

"The friends, so unlikely yet real. The Universe is worked and guided from within outwards. How funny it is, to see something so false and patched." She laughed and shifted her gaze between Kaylee and Inara.

"And River, such a strange girl. Not all there I think, talking to herself and others who don't appear. There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened." River stepped towards the window that looked out onto a final resting place, "We are impossibility in an impossible universe."

River laughed, an ethereal strange light as a bell laugh, "We are an impossibility in an impossible universe…an impossibility…universe…we are…in an…impossible…we are an impossibility…we are…impossible." Her voice faded and faltered, falling into silence, falling into the cold ground of death and despair. Breathing Seething Death and Despair.

Hi, sorry it took so long, was wrapped up in not failing classes; I really had fun with this chappie, and am finally getting back into the swing of writing. I really need the encouragement, so make sure to review. If you have questions about the randomness, I will address them with the next chapter. So make sure to ask! And look at my profile; I am working on some other fics that might be interesting. **R/R**.

Daughter of the Black


	7. Chapter 7

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Mal, let me go jump off the roof now, okay maybe not. I bow down to the almighty Joss Whedon! Mal could own me, or Jayne, or Simon, just not badger, Wash could own me too.

A/N: This is a continuation of the crazy river chapter, and this is sort of explaining what she meant if you read between the lines.

The dark had gathered and it seemed to cower from the light that was spilling from the windows of the ranch. Mal's mind was still spinning from her comments to him_, "In a world you think you understand, Stay put and tune to another planet. He is a hero, do not you see. But he isn't six feet under. On the Plains of Hesitation, bleach the bones of countless millions, who, at the Dawn of Victory, sat down to wait, and waiting."_ Her voice echoed terrifyingly dominant in his mind. Giving him no rest and making him ignore the reactions of the others who seemed to be in just as much shock, having River reveal something about themselves. Though no one else knew, she had just struck the chords that only malice in the darkest of hearts and the darkest of days could.

She stared out the window, feeling unbelieving eyes and hearts touching her figure, trying to ignore the disconcerting feeling she struggled against the pull and hovered on the cliffs edge. She did not feel anything, and felt nothing when the window shattered, sending the glass in all directions. She only felt a dull thud when the bullet imbedded itself in her left shoulder. Her shoulder went with the bullet, pulled backwards in slow motion, her face clear as ever. She seemed unaware that the glass had shattered or that the bullet had pierced her pure skin. She fell backwards, the blood seeping through the dress, her eyes were glazed, and the blood pounded in her ears. Her sight became blurry, her hearing was nothing, but murmurs and exclamations were reduced to whispers. Unbidden tears leaked from her chocolate eyes she could not cry out from pain, and soon she was deaf, blind, and mute. She smelled Inara's sweet rose perfume lingering above her and warm hands pressing against her shoulder.

Everyone waited with baited breath as Inara held River's hand and the Doc called her name, shaking as he took her pulse and began to administer a sedative. He was trying to get a response from her pupils but nothing, Simon was thinking the worst, he called out to her to say something, but she lay still. As he gave her shoulder one last check he watched her eyes close and her breathing slow to an impossible amount, he started to cry, the worry began to cloud his judgment. In a few seconds, she stopped breathing altogether, and though the wound still bled, she was free from her body. In that moment, she knew everything and every molecule of her being. She knew exactly what she was here for, something no one else had the power to know.

River felt the pain and worry that emanated from the entire crew, and in that moment she knew something, she had never known. Love, the pure love coming from one man, and terror from another. Moreover, in that moment she understood why Jayne had covered her body up with his shirt, he admired her strength and agility, her power, and he feared her too. He knew that she was the one who could bring him to his knees in terror and forgive him of his sins. She was his Judge, Jury, and executioner. On top of that, she was his savior. She didn't know how long she had been like this, but she felt a pull at her soul, and she obeyed the pull. Not knowing what was happening.

Sorry it was short, I just had to get this part off, sorry for the cliffy too. Anyhow, please review and tell me where they should go after they leave. Since I have no real endpoint for this story I just go with what I feel. My only goal is to write a Mal and River story that has lots of twists and turns. SO remember to READ AND REVIEW.

TA,

Daughter of the Black


	8. Chapter 8

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Mal, let me go jump off the roof now, okay maybe not. I bow down to the almighty Joss Whedon! Mal could own me, or Jayne, or Simon, just not badger, Wash could own me too.

A/N: Okay, sorry for writers block, I am finally up to writing what happens!

The pull dragged her to the dead thing on the floor, she settled nearly unwillingly into the body and as soon as her soul reconnected with the chain that had been attached to her body her eyes snapped open. Her eyes unfocused shifted rapidly, searching for something, anything. Then she realized that two men swirled around her, begging for her to say something crazy.

She was not mean so she acquiesced, "Stop the world, I want to get off." Rolling swiftly onto her stomach she dry heaved, as if purging her body of the pain and horror of death. Her eyes had a the glazed look of a coma patient, Simon watched his mei-mei, his, and could barely hold what he had left in his stomach. The dark crimson that covered her moonlight skin and the sweat that had risen on her skin glistened like a sick joke. The frantic look in her eyes as if she didn't understand who he was.

It tore at him as she leaned towards Inara, the woman looked terrified and sad, hesitantly she took the younger girls head in her hands and tried to steel herself to look her in the eyes. The companion bit back the tears that were ready to spring from her control, only her training was keeping her emotions in check. River keened and twisted her head to see the others, she tried to put her weight on her left arm and she collapsed to the floor. Screams of pain escaping her lips, her body shaking in an unknown manner as River dealt with the pain.

Mal had enough; he ignored the crying doctor and gently scooped his little albatross into his arms, gesturing to Zoë to open the door he carried the whimpering burden through the door. He didn't acknowledge his mothers goodbye, nor the ret of the crew following behind him. He was silent the entire way to the ship, and once inside he barely managed to order Wash to close up and get them off this godforsaken rock. He carried her to the med-lab where he ordered Jayne to get some blankets.

"'Nara, get the doctor to sit down…I kind of need him in his right mind now," Mal told her, not turning from the injured girl.

Jayne came jogging back into the room, "I got them blankets you wanted Mal…what do you need me to do?"

The captain paused for a moment, "I need you to help me hold her down while Zoë gets the bullet out. If we knock her out now, we'll be in trouble."

Jayne swallowed the growing lump in his throat and braced himself to hold the girl down, "If you're sure Mal, but if I get my manly parts crushed again it'll be you I come after."

"Alright, let's hope I can do this. Sir, Jayne, get ready…" Zoë moved over the wound and started to dig for the metal that didn't belong.

River strained against the weight holding her down and she screamed as the already sore area was brutalized. Kaylee watched from the door and tears formed in her eyes, she wanted the awful noises to stop, but she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Her hand moved down to her stomach, remembering when the Tam siblings first came aboard Serenity. After a few moments she turned and rushed off to the engine room, not wanting to be near that much pain. She could imagine the screams echoing in the boat, she sat down and started to cry into her knees.

"Oh God, don't let her die. She's just a kid…Oh God!" The young mechanic was lost in her crying jag.

Jayne was holding back more than just a 90 pound killer; his fury at Mal's cousin was boiling and reaching the top with each sob from his captive. He couldn't help but look into her eyes, making silent promises to her that everything would work out. He wanted nothing more than to make everything alright, hold her tightly and soothe the fears and pain from her delicate body and mind. The restraint he had maintained upon himself had brought sweat to his brow, but he daren't wipe it away.

Zoë bit her lip as she grimaced; she had never thought herself in this position…again. She was flying blind, and the worry that if she lost the girl, she would lose the captain and the mercenary were very real. Her gloved fingers were covered in the slick blood of a seasoned killer, but that didn't faze her, she just kept on working, steeling herself from each jostle and cry of pain that ripped through to her very heart.

Mal was out of his mind, his hands helping to hold down the mysterious creature who could flip from deadly to a childlike state of mind in mere seconds. It confounded him, and he was rarely confounded…at least in his opinion. His breathe was coming in heavy gasps, not from exertion, but from containing himself, he wanted to hold her and scream with her, share in her pain, make sure he was there for her. Instead he was ordering more pain for her…what kind of man was he. The still sane portion of him whispered that it was the right thing to do, and he shouldn't be thinking like that…he should focus on the little assassin who had wormed her way into his heart, deeper than he ever thought capable.

At last River stopped squirming, her chest stopped the alarming heaving and the screams were silenced. Both men looked to the 'surgeon' and she shook her head to tell them she wasn't done. Mal couldn't process what was going on and he frantically looked around, panic invading every cell of his body, Jayne met his eyes and the same fear was reflected in them. Mal at last let the tears fall from his eyes and he slumped to his knees, his hand clutching the cooler one that belonged to River. The silent tears made their way down tanned cheeks and signaled the break of something inside the man.

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I finally updated. Sorry about taking so long, I was really in a righting slump, then I got an e-mail from someone, and it made me feel appreciated, and I decided to have myself a marathon and I watched every episode of Firefly. Then I went and finished this chapter, I had like two paragraphs done and I finally knew what this chapter meant. As always, reviews and ideas are greatly appreciated, and hearing that you would like me to continue is the best kind of encouragement I can get...Well except maybe Joss giving me Mal and Jayne to play with for good…Anyway, thank you for waiting.

Daughter of the Black


	9. Chapter 9

Without that part, the whole just won't work

By Daughter of the Black

Disclaimer: I do not own Mal, let me go jump off the roof now, okay maybe not. I bow down to the almighty Joss Whedon! Mal could own me, or Jayne, or Simon, just not badger, Wash could own me too.

A/N: I used more Chinese in this chapter, so the translations are at the bottom! Light hearted…read and review!

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Jayne watched helplessly as Mal slid down to the floor, tears leaking from the captain's eyes. His focus was on River, he was mad. He growled and bared his teeth, "Get your ungrateful ass off the ground Mal! And they say I'm thick, he can't get the feeling of a pulse through that ego, hell Mal, your ego's twice the size of all the core planets combined. You wouldn't know if the girl was still breathing if she got up and kicked you in the head for being so pig headed!"

Double checking to make sure River was incapacitated Jayne released his hold on her and maneuvered his bulk around the table to the catatonic captain, bending down, the mercenary gripped the smaller man's shirt and hauled him upright. Turing to the doors, Jayne savagely slammed his burden up against them. Inara screamed, not of horror, but of shock, when she recovered, she shrugged her shoulders and started to turn away, "That's one way to get him to come around. I hope you haven't damaged him too badly Jayne."

Wash came jogging down to them, Serenity having a course, he was a free man, "Holy...hell...what did Jayney do to Mal! _liu kuoshui de biaozi he houzi de ben erzi!_"

Zoë looked up at her husbands rather colorful entrance, she had remained silent all the while Mal had collapsed and Jayne had gone berserk, "Hello husband. Could you possibly remove these _ben tiansheng de yidui rou, _and then help me?"

Wash shrugged his shoulders and his eyes widened in innocence as he moved towards the large men, "I don't know lamb-toes, I could get injured…you really want them alive?" A look from the second in command made him squeak and do as he was told, "Sorry about this captain…Jayne and Mal sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the carriage!" Wash waited only a second for the two 'victims' to register what he had said and he was off, racing through the metal innards that were Serenity. Hearing only half-hearted footsteps he raised his voice and nearly screamed his message, he made his way towards the bridge, "Jayne and Mal sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the carriage!"

Scrambling around the corner he ran into a hard surface, but when he poked it was soft, "Tzao gao!" Wash had looked up and seen the absolutely livid face of a man who was out for blood. Mind you, it wasn't the same kind of vendetta Hoban usually encountered, this wasn't a 'you stole from me, now I get your ears'; this was a 'you just insulted me for the last time, now I am going to castrate you with an ice-cream scoop and fillet you'. He backed up and gulped, he was caged between the murderous fiend who was only minutes from brandishing said ice-cream scoop, and a man who had once lost his ear and was probably more likely to throw him out the air lock without a second thought as to who would pilot his baby.

Sinking lower to the ground, Wash put his hands up in surrender, he could feel the glares sinking into his back and the child-like man shrunk, if possible, even farther into the floor.

Mal glared down at his pilot, "Now Zoë might kill me for hurting you, but I think that ain't too hefty a price to pay seeing as how you just said me an Jayne been fraternizing with each other. What do you think Jayne?"

Jayne reached for one of the guns's strapped to his thigh, "Get this through your thick skull dino-boy, I wouldn't touch _him_ if he was a free whore!"

Wash swallowed, his voice unnaturally high, "Uh…in the interest in being politically correct that would make Mal a slut. Not that it matters." He added on after seeing the fire in Mal's stare renewed.

Wash winced, waiting for the blow that would come, only it didn't, a loud thunk and a triumphant 'yes' made the two larger, and far more deadly men race off back to the infirmary, leaving an emotionally scarred man behind.

"Oh lamby-toes, you owe me big. I need to go play with my dinosaurs…"

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So that was that, not much happened, I just felt the need for some laughter. If you didn't get it, yes River is alive, and where Wash learned that Rhyme will come later. Hope you like my attempt at humor, read and review, a week and three days left of school. Then I have more free time!

Chinese Used and Translate!

_liu kuoshui de biaozi he houzi de ben erzi__----stupid son of a drooling whore and monkey_

_ben tiansheng de yidui rou----__ stupid inbred sacks of meat_

Tzao gao----Oh Shit


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